Hi all


I hope someone can assist and point me in the right direction. Have a 2005 CLK500 Cabrio that is giving a few recent problems:


1) Radio stopped working - no sound though it is on, also CD/CD Shuttle shows error. Checked all fuses and those are fine


2) Passenger side heater went dead, only blows cool air, also not a lot of it.


3) Suspension very squeaky, especially rear.


Any ideas will be helpful and appreciated.


Thanks

 

How many miles? How long have you had the car?

The radio could be just bad.
The heater may be the heater controller. I just had to change mine.

Squeaky suspension is not uncommon. It depends on miles, in part, as to what the issue is.

Rudeney should be along soon with better info.

 

Many thanks Jim. It's done 212,000km, and I've owned her now for 4 years. She is a very nice car but my girlfriend is driving her now, and she is complaining about the old lady, so I've got to get her fixed. The car that is.


I had it at a German car specialist this morning for a diagnostic and he want's to strip the whole dash to see where the problem lies with the heater/flaps. He also recons the amplifier may be dead. The squeaky suspension seems to have many potential causes from what I could find on the net.


I would not want to take it to a MB dealership if I can avoid it as I know they will rip me to shreds on the cost to fix.


Regards


Daniel

 

Daniel, it looks like you have posted two identical threads on this. I answered in your other thread, but I am deleting that. You shoul contact a moderator to delete your duplicate thread. Here's my response:

Very common given the age, You need to look into replacing suspension components. On the front, the anti-sway bar bushings are a common culprit, as are the frame bush bushings on the control arms. On the rear, it's more complex. THere are various control arms and bushings as well as anti-sway bar bushings and axle carrier bushings that can all get noisy.

You might try to "reboot" the system by pulling fuses 64 (panel under the hood), 26 (cabin, end of dash, driver's side). It could also be a break in the fiber optic loop. If there has been any recent work done in the car (cabin or trunk) I'd check there.

Try the ACC reset - engine running, simultaneously press and hold the RECIRC and FRONT DEFOG buttons until their indicator lamps begin to flash. This will continue for 20-30 seconds as it test everything. If it does not stop, you have a fault that will need proper diagnosis.

 

Hi Rodney


Many thanks indeed for the detailed suggestions. I will give it a go on the heater and radio. Will speak to the garage where I have the car serviced to have a look at all those bushings you mentioned on the suspension.


Kind regards


Daniel


PS Sorry about the duplicate post. Don't know how I got that messed up

 

Hi Rodney


I tried the ACC reset - it starts the test and keeps running. I am sure there is a stuck flap somewhere. It keeps making a ticking noise behind the instrument cluster.


Pulled the fuses on the radio as suggested. No luck with that. No idea where the fibre loop is so did not check. No work has been done on the car recently. Disconnected the battery too for a good 15minutes in the hope of that resetting whatever the ailment is, with no luck.


I guess I have no choice but go to a MB dealer with this.


Thanks for the help.


D

 

Ticking noises are indicative of stripped gears.

 

Thanks Anker Could very well be. Heard it's plastic gears on the motors/flaps so probably that. The ticking was however there before, on some settings of the system and never caused the loss of heat on passenger side. Methinks there is a flap stuck in the fresh/cold air inlet position for the passenger's side that does not flip over to the side that lets the warm air through. But hey, I am no mechanic, just thinking out loud.

 

Since the ACC reset never completes, there is a fault, which is probably the cause of the ticking noise. That is a servo that is not stopping as it should. This is usually the servo itself failing. It's also called a "stepper motor", which is just an electric motor with a mechanism inside that determines its angular position. That way, the ACC can operate it granularly so that the damper is moved to a specific angle. If that position-sensing mechanism fails, the servo just spins continuously. When the damper moves to the end of travel, the plastic actuator arm that connects it to the servo "pops" in and out of place, hence the noise. usually, if the actuator breaks, the servo still moves to the proper position, but the damper doesn't move, so you'll have improper airflow, but no errors. The continuous cycling of the bad servo can also cause the actuator to break. So, generally, you should replace both the servo and the actuator. The problem is, some of those servos are buried deep behind the dash and can require removing the entire dash, duct, AC evaporator, heater core, etc. Even the easier ones to access require removing lower parts of the dash, glovebox, and/or center console.

To know which servo is at fault, the ACC system can be scanned for diagnostic codes, but that can't be done with a generic OBDII scanner. Of course the dealer's SDS (Star Diagnosis) does it, but there are some other tools such as iCarsoft i980 (or their newer MBII version). Many independent shops have these tools, so you are NOT tied to a dealer!. If you are an avid DIY'er, the iCarsoft tools are under $200. You can actually buy a Chinese clone version of SDS for between $250 and $800, depending on how technologically talented you are in installing it on your own computer vs. buying it pre-installed. SDS has many other features like WIS (Workstation Information System, i.e. shop manuals) and many other diagnostic aid documents and images.

As for the radio issues, since there is no sound AND it can't see the CDC, it's almost certainly a problem in the fiber loop. The fiber in the car is easy to spot as it is pairs of stiff, orange wire. It has to make a continuous loop in order to work, so each device will have a pair - an input and an output. Note that it is normal to find some "dead ends" in the trunk or dash where optional equipment connects, such as the cell phone interface, satellite radio tuner, etc. Anywhere that the fiber pair is connected to a device, you should be able to unplug it and see red light on one of the leads. If you find a connected device without a light, then there is a problem between it and the upstream device. Look for kinks or breaks in the fiber cable. Sometimes a device itself can fail and not "loop" the fiber signal.

Oh, and other fuses - try 20 (rear panel in the trunk) - it's for the CDC.

 

They are sort of unrelated. Mine does the same, but changing out the controller fixed the AC issue.

 

The last time I did serious DIY on a car was in the late 80's on my first car, an old Alfa Romeo. Had the whole workshop manual and did everything myself. Those were good times.


I'll try the fuse in the boot (trunk as you call it) and look for loose orange wires.


On my way to a couple of garages now, MB included, to talk suspension bushes.

 

Hi gents


Update on the little problems.


Found, and had a suspension specialist check the suspension for the squeaks, after being to several garages. On the front it is the two large inner bushings on the torsion/sway bar. On the back it is the funny knuckle that sits against the bottom of the wheel hub on that big lower control arm. This test/analysis, which took 2 guys about 90 minutes, cost me a whole ZAR110. Which is about USD8 - and I get that back/credited if they get the job to fix. Waiting for the quote to fix but went to MB and the parts will cost about USD120 (have to buy the whole torsion bar, not just new bushings??). I guess that labour will be the big charge here. The German car specialist I took it to, to inspect, quoted me about USD500 to replace the front control arms, which I now know do not need replacement. *******. It would have solved absolutely zero.


MB sent me to a third party radio/audio specialist to look at the dead radio. He spent two hours on the car with his gizmos and gadgets and computers, only to tell me I'll have to go back to MB for them to reset, reboot and update the command system. According to him there is no hardware problem and no breaks in the loop. Apparently the amp logged a low charge problem and shut down and is stuck in that glitch and need special diagnostic system,computer or whatnot, and passwords more closely guarded than nuclear launch codes, to jog its silicone mind back to some semblance of normality. MB estimates 2 hours do diagnose and fix, if it is indeed the issue, at roughly USD82 an hour. I should have just bought the girl some earphones.

 

Yes, the newer style anti-sway bars use fixed bushings, so the whole bar has to be replaced. There is another way to do it, which is to remove the bushings from the bar and then use the older style replaceable bushings and their corresponding brackets. You won't save much money, though, as the whole replacement anti-sway bar is not terribly expensive, and you;d have to pay labor for cleaning the glued bushings off.

There is no secret code for the radio or amp. I suspect you have a bad amp.